As a result of either water costs or shortages, it is often desirable to reduce the amount of water consumed at a point of use, such as at a tap supplying water to a household kitchen sink. Typically, the actual amount of water required to accomplish the task at hand is relatively small compared to the amount of water that is inadvertently wasted while the user's attention is directed elsewhere. For example, it is often inconvenient to shut off the water flow between rinsing separate utensils, or while cutting a freshly rinsed vegetable. Or, handling faucets when cutting raw meat may inadvertently contaminate the controls with bacteria, such as virulent stains of ecoli, and is best avoided by leaving rinse water running during meat cutting operations, to avoid health code violations in institutional or commercial kitchen settings. While the economic cost of such wasteful practices has only begun to reach the pocketbooks of individual consumers, collectively, society has begun to encounter the cost of such practices in many ways. For example, it has become common in certain areas to hear of the denial of water availability certifications which are required before beginning construction of new homes. Also, consumptive water uses have reduced in-stream flows, have contributed to the decline of fish populations, and also have adversely impacted the recreational use of certain lakes and rivers that are used for water supply.
I am aware of various attempts in which an effort has been made to provide an apparatus for reducing water flow at a tap. Such attempts are largely characterized by designs which include some sort of repositionable valve that is controlled by a foot or hand actuated mechanism. For example, one such design is shown in U.S. Pat. No. 5,095, 941 issued Mar. 17, 1992 to J. Betz for METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ACTUATING A FAUCET. In one embodiment, his invention provides a pressure switch which is mounted at or near the floor and is activated by the user's foot, and which allows flow for a predetermined amount of time after the foot valve is actuated. More recently, U.S. Pat. No. 5,386,600 was issued Feb. 7, 1995 to Gilbert, Sr. for LATCHING FOOT PEDAL ACTUATED TAP WATER FLOW CONTROLLER. That patent discloses a latch and release mechanism for regulating water flow through a tap with a foot actuated valve.
For the most part, the documents identified in the preceding paragraph or which are otherwise known to me disclose devices which require the supply of an extended mechanical or electrical linkage portion, and in some cases, additional various adjustable parts. Also, in so far as I am aware, although diaphragm type valves have long been known, the special design necessary to adapt such devices to regulate tap water flow has not been exploited heretofore by others.
Thus, the advantages offered by my simple, hydraulically actuated, unique diaphragm valve design, and its avoidance of electrical or mechanical linkages as a prerequisite to actuate a water flow valve, are important and self- evident.